The most important thing
by yueshi18
Summary: The Three-tails saves Rin, and Obito returns to Konoha. What changes does this mean for Kakashi and Team Minato? A story of Team Minato friendship, where tailed beasts aren't just murder weapons and kunoichi aren't just pretty flower vases. Part 1 of Greatest gift. Canon AU.
1. Broken rules

_Cross-posted from AO3._

 _Tags: Canon AU, Canon Divergence, Canon-typical violence, Exposition, Third Shinobi War, Post-Kannabi Bridge Mission, Friendship, Teamwork_

 _A/N: All bets are off. This is Canon AU, not a repeat of canon. Team Minato will live, be friends, and have a happy ending (keyword: ending). Note: them/their are used as singular and gender-neutral in some cases._

 _EDIT 10/19/18: General flow/typos/mood. Added foreshadowing to one scene and deleted some extra info that gets covered next chapter. Storyline is the same. Thank you Of Monsters and Me, JCMorrison, and my beta reader CherryBerry12 for feedback!_

* * *

Chapter 1: Broken Rules

The burn in his left eye woke him up. He took one measured breath, then another. How? He cracked open his right eye. A blue ceiling fell to blue walls and grey planks standing along the floorboard. The soft sheets felt jarring against the memory of hard ground, a dull pain throbbing in his knee.

He tried to sit up; his body reluctantly complied. A medic must have spared some chakra for him. Putting aside the fact that he was alive, the chakra exhaustion this time should've been severe. If not a week, he might've been bedridden for a month.

He brought his left hand to his face—bare—and slid it over the sharingan. He'd been stripped of his uniform and weapons, now wearing an airy patient gown, but Kakashi still felt the weight of her body pulling him down. He curled forward, right arm tingling where they'd scrubbed, but they could never wash it off. He could still smell her blood.

Minato flickered into the room, carrying a bundle of spare clothes and the younger jounin's weapon pouches. "Kakashi," he warmly greeted the boy before his mouth turned down. He wore the solemn veil of the Yellow Flash save his soft, blue eyes, knowing. "Kakashi," he addressed him again quietly.

Kakashi forced himself to straighten. He must've been imagining things. "Sensei," the word scratched against his throat. Was that why he was here?

Minato placed the items on the bed and glanced back to his student. Kakashi's gaze was fixed upon a weapon pouch—Rin's med kit was inside. Minato sighed. He would prefer to let Kakashi rest a little longer, but he couldn't let this continue; he didn't know when the younger shinobi might recover otherwise. "Kakashi, there's something I have to show you," he spoke casually, "Do you think you're well enough to leave?"

Kakashi blinked in surprise and looked to his teacher. Minato was fairly lenient, but he wasn't the type to encourage early discharge. If it were Rin—Kakashi dug his nails into his palm. He wouldn't be in this state if he didn't— _Blood crawled from her mouth. The wound pulled at his skin. "Kakashi…" she choked out_ —

"Kakashi." The boy started. Minato had bent down to his eye level, watching him intently. He held his left wrist, the hand pulled away from his face. Kakashi looked at his sensei, and Minato slowly let go of his arm. He picked up a shirt from the pile of clothes and set it in Kakashi's hand. "Once you've changed, meet me in the hall."

* * *

The smell of copper and salt stung his nose. For a moment, Kakashi saw the battlefield, stone ground showered in seawater and forest looming over it. The next, he saw Minato had teleported them into a house. A marked three-pronged kunai hung from a rafter in front of their landing point, a yellow-orange mat stained with faint footprints of rust. One he could tell was Minato's, and the other—Kakashi set his foot by it—was around his size.

Kakashi lifted his head, sniffing the air again. It hummed with chakra, carrying the strong scent of the sea. "Where are we?" he asked, taking in the plain wooden interior. A lantern was tied above the room, lighting a simple dining table with chairs to their left. To their right was a door with a clock nailed up beside it. A weapons chest sat behind them next to a basic kitchen, and in front of them was a pair of heavy wooden sliding doors, flanked by dark hallways leading left and right.

"We're in a safehouse on the outskirts of Konoha." Minato stepped off the mat. "It was actually built as a safety measure for Kushina, but it turned out to be useful for other things."

Everyone in Konoha knew Kushina was the Nine-tails jinchuuriki. The Rampaging Fox was Iwa's living nightmare alongside the Yellow Flash. Kakashi didn't question any further as Minato led them towards the hall to the right. The chakra in the air grew denser and the saltwater smell grew stronger, but far from smothered, Kakashi felt strangely… _comforted_ by the pressure, like a gentle squeeze to his shoulder. The comfort immediately vanished once Minato opened a door to the thick scent of blood—her blood.

Kakashi slipped past Minato, coming to a halt just beside the door. In the far corner, lying on a bed and wrapped in a shroud of green chakra, was Rin. Her chest rose and fell faintly with an even rhythm. A miniature tailed beast ball—what Kushina made a million times in her spars against Minato—filled the space of her missing heart, radiating an immense life energy.

"This is…" The fresh tang of her blood was clinging to his nose and sticking to the back of his throat. He could see the familiar plum marks on her cheeks, and he could feel her presence, dwarfed under the blanket of chakra and the presence of the tailed beast, but for once, Kakashi found himself struggling to trust his senses.

"Mm," Minato confirmed his suspicions from the doorway. "Kurama-san didn't tell us what ability the tailed beast is using, but her vitals are stable and Kurama-san assured us that she would be fine."

Kakashi ambled towards the bed, his feet shuffling to a stop beside it. He raised a hand to his forehead protector. Ignoring his exhaustion, he lifted it, revealing three tomoe spinning lazily. Rin's chakra flow was barely visible through the shroud. The chakra point at her heart blazed even brighter than the central node at her stomach, but otherwise, nothing was amiss—not anymore. "The seal didn't break?" he asked, still in disbelief.

Minato joined Kakashi by the bed, looking thoughtful. "Any seal on Rin would've been burned away by the tailed beast's chakra by now." The dark rotating sphere filled the room with a quiet whir. "I think the bijuudama is acting as an anchor for the tailed beast. If it decided to save her, we shouldn't have anything to worry about." Minato trusted Kushina and Kurama; they believed the tailed beast wouldn't rampage, but the council remained watchful and wary.

Kakashi's gaze drifted up to Rin's sleeping face, now clean of blood, but looking pale and drawn. He couldn't believe it. He dropped to his knees by her side, his bruised knee muted and distant. Her hand rested in front of him, a hand that would always reach out to him. He reached for it now, hesitating just outside the glowing chakra.

"It's alright," Minato said softly.

Kakashi carefully cradled her hand in his. The green chakra lapped over his fingers, saying _Rin, Rin—Kakashi_ , it called, warm and bright. _Kakashi_ , she called again, and he finally noticed the wetness on his cheeks.

" _Rin…_ " He placed his other hand over hers and gently clasped it, head bowing down as the tears silently fell. _Thank God._ Rin was safe. She was _alive_. ( _Thank God._ )

He'd felt the last quiver of her heart, felt her blood cooling on his skin, known without a doubt she had died. But here she was— _breathing_. Her hand was warm in his, and her chakra pulsed with irrefutable life. _She was alive._

 _Thank God._

He didn't know how long it was until the tears stopped, until he set her hand down and lifted his head. The only evidence of his emotional breakdown was a series of damp spots on the covers with matching stains caught by his mask, but he paid them no mind. He pulled himself to his feet despite the slight numbness in his legs, viewing his sleeping friend and taking in this rare moment of peace. Thank God. It might be a while before she's fully healed, but she _would_ heal, and for that, he didn't think he could be more thankful.

Kakashi slid his headband down like nothing had happened, turning to his sensei. Minato was smiling, relieved in his own way.

"There's still one more thing I have to show you," Minato began brightly, making his way towards the door. "But we can leave it for another day."

Kakashi followed behind, wondering whether he should feel more surprised at Minato's statement or his lack of exhaustion. "Sensei, if you're worried about how I'm feeling, that isn't necessary. I'm fine." It was true. Unlike some of his past assurances, this wasn't a lie. Chakra crackled beneath his skin as if it had always been—

He paused in his step outside the door. After a beat, he looked down at his hands. _Don't tell me…_

Minato paused too, closing the door to Rin's room when he noticed Kakashi hadn't. Instead, his student had his face in his hands, looking rather weary. "Something up, Kakashi?"

 _Rin…_ Why were his teammates always making him _worry_? Acting like a medic before she's fully recovered. Did she think using Three-tails chakra would excuse her recklessness? If this happened months ago, he'd be getting a headache about now, but as it were… Kakashi sighed, letting his arms drop. "I think Rin transferred some chakra to me." If it was Isobu, it had to be Rin's idea.

"Is that so?" Minato asked politely. As one of Konoha's best sensors, he sensed the entire exchange as Kakashi was transferred the tailed beast's chakra. But why did Kakashi say Rin had done it? It was probably safe to say the tailed beast wouldn't have elicited Kakashi's earlier reaction, nor did Minato think the beast was nice enough to treat anyone holding its host's hands. It seemed Rin's chakra interacted with Kakashi regardless of her condition. He wondered what it meant.

"Yes…" Kakashi dutifully answered. Of course Sensei noticed. He quickly moved on. "Anyway, Sensei, what was the last thing you wanted to show me?"

Minato returned his attention to the present. He studied his student's expression, deadpan but somehow expectant as he patiently waited for an answer. Even if Kakashi wasn't chakra exhausted anymore, he didn't think the younger ninja would _want_ another meeting like that so soon. "This might shock you even more than Rin," he warned good-naturedly.

"It's alright, Minato-sensei." Kakashi appreciated his sensei's concern, but they were both jounin here. "I can handle myself. Besides"—the scent of salt and blood lingered—"if it's like meeting Rin again, then let's meet!"

Since he was determined, Minato relinquished his remaining doubts. "Alright!"

Minato led the way down the other hall. Saltwater gave way to notes of earth and wood, reminiscent of Konoha. _Sensei didn't answer my question_ , Kakashi thought, but they already arrived at another door. Minato swung it open and looked back to Kakashi, waiting for him to enter first. Kakashi glanced up at him curiously before walking past and into the room.

Light filtered in through the curtained window and there was another person sleeping in bed. A pale, white arm rested on their stomach over the covers. Their long, dark hair was tucked underneath them, leaving their face in full view. Images of a boastful chuunin, now with scars dragged across the right.

Minato watched his student as he followed up behind him. Kakashi had paused, but unlike with Rin, his chakra wasn't wildly fluctuating.

Kakashi trod soundlessly to the bed. It'd been months since the cave-in. Months since he'd taken the goggles left at the memorial and stored them out of sight. Months since he accepted the weatherworn stone and red reflecting in the mirror as the closest he'd ever get to him. Kakashi's gaze wandered to the foot of the bed, moving up to settle on his scarred face.

 _Obito._

"You've come back."

No spirited retort was forthcoming. Obito answered with soft, even breaths.

Kakashi slid his gaze back to the pale right arm. What should've been crushed was whole and gave off a woody scent and the faintest trace of rot, void of chakra.

 _They left him under that rock._

Kakashi bit down the sudden surge of self-disgust. Rin wouldn't feel any better about it if she were standing here next to him. But the two already once talked about this—about Obito.

 _Medic-nin can't dwell on deaths and what-ifs_ , she'd told him— _they focus on the people in front of them._

 _In front of them_ —Obito slept, oblivious to Kakashi's inner turmoil.

Kakashi quietly sighed and viewed the whorling scars. They looked more or less healed and weren't carved too deeply, but his right eye… "He's already been examined, right?" He turned to face Minato, not quite calm and collected, but close enough. "What's his condition?"

Minato inwardly beamed, a small smile slipping through. "Obito doesn't have any injuries or conditions requiring hospitalization. Except for some weakness on his right side, the medics said he's physically fine."

That was reassuring. Kakashi looked back towards Obito. They didn't need to talk here and risk waking him up. He headed out of the room and the two jounin relocated to the kitchen. "Then why is he asleep?" Kakashi continued, finding the tea and other supplies in the areas Kushina usually kept them. The clock already read noon. Although Obito had an extensive repertoire of excuses, oversleeping wasn't one of them.

Minato fetched a pot from a cabinet along with a few cans of curry. Not Kushina's cooking, but it would have to do. "He stayed up all night," he began, eyes downcast as he pulled the tabbed covers off. "He wouldn't sleep until earlier this morning, a few hours before I got you from the hospital."

 _Oh._ Kakashi set the lid on a cast iron pot, rice prepped inside, and turned the stove on high. If Obito saw Rin's condition, Kakashi could imagine he wouldn't want to leave her side. Even if her vitals were stable, Rin didn't look…well, exactly. Not until Rin called to him (somehow, he didn't think Isobu did that at her behest), he hadn't been sure she would be okay.

He thought of the lap of chakra against his hand, of two sets of breaths at each part of the house, and a small warmth rose in his chest.

Lunch passed without conversation.

Once the table was cleared of all but their tea, Minato finally addressed the elephant in the room. "Kakashi, could you tell me what happened during your mission?"

Kakashi pulled his mask back in place. He sat with his thoughts for a moment before beginning his report. "As you're aware, Rin and I were sent to scout west of the Kumo front…"

* * *

( _"The attack came from ahead."_ )

"Suiton—!" A violent cyclone of water crashed into the branches. Kakashi and Rin landed without a scratch, kunai up, back to back. Anbu masks—eyes angled slits and etched with Kiri's four slanted lines—surrounded them, flecked amongst the trees and appearing from the undergrowth. Headband raised, Kakashi stashed his weapons and flew through the hand signs. Lightning chirped in the claw of his hand.

"There's no point in resisting," an Anbu said.

"Rin," Kakashi ignored them, "I'll open up a path. _Run_ and report what we've found."

"Kakashi," Rin answered evenly, shifting to better survey the arrival of new enemies. "You know there's no way I can do that!" The words could only be misdirection—an old argument.

"Rin, they've got a sensor or a tracker," he continued, undeterred. She would've inferred that as well, but no harm in stressing it. "I'll hold them back, so get as far away as you can." He knew she would do as he asked. "I'll be right behind you."

Rin knit her brows. "Don't just say"—she palmed a smoke bomb—"whatever you want!" With a burst, a cloud of smoke enveloped them. Kakashi took the opening.

He darted to where they'd come from, to the puddles and wet earth of the suiton jutsu. "Chidori!" He ran the lightning over the waterlogged area; bolts of electricity danced towards the Anbu, scattering them. "Rin!"

She shot past him and into the branches. He followed, Anbu swarming behind them. He let chidori sputter out and shoved his hands into his packs, fanning out a set of shuriken. The sharingan's dual tomoe spun, targeting empty air, and with a flick, the metal stars whizzed to meet the Anbu. They pushed through, swords ringing when they blocked; thuds from dodges or hits.

 _Snap!_

The forest groaned and shook. Rin set off another burst of smoke, swallowing the two Konoha-nin. The grey was quickly blown away by a giant log swinging into the group of Anbu. The ones in front dodged back as it bulldozed the branches. The rear shinobi advanced, leaping around the barreling log with ease.

Kakashi awaited them, hand whipping to a half ram seal.

"Kai!" The forest rumbled with a wave of explosions, a whole mass of treetops taken out. The Anbu who weren't quick enough fell to the forest floor, some more intact than others. Without missing a beat, another group replaced them.

His right hand chirped with lightning again. He dashed forward, leaning away from a slash as he ducked into their guard. With a jab, chidori stabbed through their heart. He pulled back, dodging a pair of blows from above, and bolted towards his next target.

"Ninpou—Kirigakure no Jutsu!"

Chakra-colored mist creeped through the branches. A few more Anbu fell to chidori before they retreated into the haze. The foreign chakra drifted over Kakashi and fogged the sharingan's vision. He drew in chidori, palming a kunai in each hand, and forced his breathing to steady.

The mist softly pressed from behind and he spun, narrowly dodging an upwards slash to his left. The sword grazed the cloth of his headband, slicing through and lifting it off; it fell to the forest below. He blocked the follow-up slash to his right and the two disengaged, springing to opposite ends of the branch. Kakashi sent a tagged kunai after them and immediately triggered it. _Kai!_

The explosion cleared some of the mist, revealing Anbu perched on the branches above him. Their own kunai came whistling down, carrying explosive tags.

They detonated on impact. The thunderous blast ripped off the branch, mist replaced with smoke and dust. The Anbu leapt down to inspect the damage, scanning through the mess of bodies and debris. They came across the fallen Konoha headband and a charred kawarimi log.

* * *

"Huff, huff…"

Kakashi sped over the branches, albeit at a severely reduced pace. His right arm felt incredibly heavy, the blood sticking and clotting on the armor plates. He shucked off the sleeve without a second thought. He couldn't afford to be hampered. The evidence of a battle, a mountain of logs and trees drenched and scratched by kunai, met him further along their escape route. It continued off the path. Where the fighting ended, Rin's trail began, dirt and mud in the branches leading back into enemy territory.

No wonder they hadn't pursued him, he thought bitterly. He followed the dotted line of her scent, assessing the situation. The Kiri front ran along the eastern coast of Hot Springs and Fire country while the Kumo front occupied northern Hot Springs and extended to the west, where he and Rin were. This far inland, the Anbu would've had to traverse the Kumo front, or infiltrate southern Lightning or northeast Fire to move around it. That would place Kiri in a prime position to attack Lightning or Fire unaware. They probably captured Rin for information on their mission and Konoha.

There was also the matter of the tracker or sensor. Attacking them from the front—from unscouted territory—required at least one. But according to current intel, no one in Kiri possessed a byakugan-like spying ability, and if it was a sensor—he and Rin trained with one of the most powerful ones. Unless they were careless, that'd put the sensor on or above Minato's level. Both were terrible prospects for them and Konoha.

In any case, it was safe to assume they were watching him now. With how established their numbers were, Kakashi wouldn't be surprised if the entire forest was under their surveillance. If so, they would know he and Rin were the only Konoha shinobi for miles. They were probably looking down on him, not bothering with false trails or ambushes. Though, he was arguably pursuing death, pursuing them at all. (His left eye was closed, nibbling at his chakra.) That was fine. He would _never_ abandon Rin.

Kakashi halted on the next branch, having reached the end of the trail. He heard the rush of water and waves crashing against the rocks. He smelled the light scent of saltwater tossed in the air. His nose wrinkled. He also smelled… Kakashi looked down to see an Anbu standing in front of a bush, silent but for the unmistakable sound of relieving them self.

He dropped down from the branches, and with a twist, slammed a kick to the back of their head, knocking them out. He didn't question his luck. He turned them over, taking the mask and memorizing their features before flipping them over again. He slipped a kunai from his pouch and placed it against their throat. A quick slash, and they were permanently incapacitated.

He formed the ram seal. _Henge._ A puff of smoke enveloped him, dissipating to reveal the Anbu, matching chakra signature and all—or almost. He opened his left eye. Satisfied with his vision, he stood up, a few feet taller, and donned the mask, leaving the forest to search for her trail.

* * *

Kakashi caught her scent and followed it to a large camp next to the sea. It had the faintest scent of people, but otherwise the camp smelled no different from the air.

 _Forty… Fifty…_ he noted as he strolled into the lion's den, other Anbu milling about and murmuring. The shush of blades against whetstone whispered to him as he passed through the camp, distinct and clear through the ambient noise. A few heads turned, but otherwise, no one paid attention to him when he marched up to the center tent. _Rin._ With the back of his hand, he pushed aside the tent flap and entered without ceremony.

An Anbu looked up to a glint of red. _Sharingan!_

Silently, all three guards fell.

The partial henge dispelled, his energy plummeting with his dropped disguise. Kakashi staggered, tugging off the Anbu mask before covering his left eye, quietly puffing. He zeroed in on her unconscious form. Rin . He trudged towards where she lay and half-collapsed beside her, setting the mask on the ground. He didn't smell blood and her breathing was regular. He removed his hand. Her chakra flow was normal, except—the sharingan was almost blinded by the bonfire at her central chakra point. In stark contrast, a diamond of black chakra was fastened around her heart.

( _Kakashi's eye narrowed further. Why hadn't he realized it then? He'd seen them before. "They disappeared the instant chidori pierced the Anbu's heart."_ )

His left eye closed. "Rin, it's me," he whispered, deftly untying her bindings. He felt a tremble in his arms, but it hadn't reached his fingers.

She peeked open her eyes, having never been asleep from the start. "Kakashi?" She swiftly rose, medic eyes evaluating him as she shifted to a crouch.

"I put the Anbu under a genjutsu. I don't know how long it'll hold them," he reported, then looked over his shoulder to the tent flaps. "There are well over fifty Anbu outside… It doesn't sound like they've noticed, but any sensors or trackers should know I'm here." His chakra signature and form reverted once the henge dispelled.

"Injuries?" she asked, to which he shook his head. But to be sure, she lifted a hand coated with green chakra, quickly scanning it over his body. He made no protest as she lifted his arms and scrutinized almost every surface. She heaved a sigh, relieved to find nothing, but she did notice his diminished chakra levels. The glow from her hand faded as she transferred some chakra to him. "How does that feel?"

Buried tension fled his muscles and his legs steadied underneath him. "Better," he breathed. His eyes curved up, tired but smiling. "Thank you, Rin."

She smiled back, and then it fell away with her gaze. "They sealed the Three-tails in me."

Kakashi's eye blinked wide with surprise.

"I talked to him. He's called Isobu," she explained, raising her eyes to meet Kakashi's again. "He said the seal was unstable. If he lent me his power, the seal would break and he would be released." _And she would die_ , they both knew. Death was the fate of all jinchuuriki who lost their tailed beast. She glanced towards the motionless guards. "I also overheard the Anbu talking about plans to destroy Konoha."

"They want the Three-tails to rampage," Kakashi finished for her, eye at half-mast once more. "But Isobu doesn't sound like the belligerent type." It even sounded like he'd willingly become Rin's partner.

Rin clutched the fabric over her heart and Kakashi tensed. "There's something there, isn't there?" she asked, anticipating him. "I can feel it linked to my chakra network." And that was linked to the jinchuuriki seal. "It might be used to affect Isobu—to make us rampage." She flattened her hand on her chest, green chakra building on her palm, and then she froze, relaxing as the chakra receded. "It looks like I can't try to remove it on my own."

Unfortunately, Kakashi didn't know a method either. ( _Not one he would ever consider._ )

He reviewed their situation. So Kiri was planning an attack on Konoha. He looked to the downed Anbu. Then why let him get this far? Was it arrogance? He and Rin _were_ in the palm of their hands. If they couldn't escape or warn Konoha, knowing Kiri's plan wouldn't matter. He heard the monotony of the camp continue, still no change in their movements—at least, not on the surface. They must know he was here. Just what were they waiting for?

"We should have Minato-sensei and Kushina-neesan examine it and the Three-tails' seal," he judged. Only—Minato and Kushina were fighting on the Iwa front. Well, either way, they needed to get out of here first. "Now then…"

* * *

Kakashi and Rin darted out of the tent, her guards following suit. "Don't let them get away!" one of them shouted. A line of masks moved to block the Konoha-nin.

Rin flashed through a set of hand seals. "Suiton—Mizurappa!" A jet of water shot from her mouth, splitting the Anbu to both sides just as a set of tagged kunai arrived.

"Kai!" Kakashi shouted.

The blast winged around them, catching more than just the immediate enemies while forcing others to retreat. The two ran through the aftermath, more Anbu ready to receive them. "Suiton"—ropes of water formed from the remnants of Rin's jutsu—"Suiben!" The water lashed out like whips.

"Doton—Doryuuheki!" Kakashi slammed his hands on the ground. The water crashed against an earth wall that shot up in front of them, puddling.

Rin's scream yanked his hackles, but his body felt like a wet rag. He pushed against the earth wall to stand and turned around, falling against it, breathing hard. The Anbu behind them had caught up, one of them immobilizing Rin. He heard another land on the wall above him.

"You won't be getting out alive this time," one taunted.

Kakashi heard the whisper of swords unsheathing. Other blades silently raised at the words, reflecting the moonlight. The stabs were painful, but quick, pinning his body to the wall. The clone dispelled in a puff of smoke. Rin's clone soon followed. "Kage bunshin?" one asked.

"Her guards are all dead!" an Anbu at the rear announced, having bothered to check the tent.

The Anbu who apprehended "Rin" flashed a half ram seal.

* * *

A massive explosion went off near the camp's center. Kakashi and Rin felt the wind at their backs well across the camp's perimeter, henge dispelling. The wind delivered the scent of the camp, thinned even further, and muted tones of burnt flesh. Kakashi scowled, nose catching a fresh scent. "Four o'clock!"

"Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"

The two dodged left. A water dragon gouged the stone ground where they'd been, pushing them towards the sea.

"Kibakusui!" another called.

The two leapt forward before the ground erupted beneath them. Water sprayed upwards, twice the height of the forest, and showered over them. Another explosion of water went off ahead, Anbu leaping up from the sea and onto the rocks.

From behind, several attacks were called. The relentless wave of explosive ninjutsu littered the ground with smoking craters, driving them to the other Anbu's doorstep. Once again, they were completely surrounded.

Kakashi forced the lightning to his hand. Not yet. Not until Rin got to Minato and Kushina. _He wouldn't let them take Rin._

Anbu rushed towards them and the sharingan tracked their movement. He charged his first target, Rin following in step. And then—

( _He hadn't expected it, hadn't been watching her. The world went dark in a second._ )

No one moved. All he heard were his breaths and her dying ones. His eyes uselessly burned, tears falling as the blood dripped from her ? She looked just as shocked as he felt.

" _Kakashi…_ " she choked out, wanting to say more, but her eyes dimmed and her legs gave. Her body tipped back.

He gripped her shoulder, steadying them. He shut his eye, but it only made things worse. The rich tang of metal, her blood, blinded his senses. The wound pulled on his skin where she hung, lifeless. They separated. He didn't hear the sound of her body hitting the ground.

"Rin…" He collapsed hard on one knee.

The scab had been torn off his heart, and he bled. It bled into his sight. Anger came hot, a well-worn knife pointed at his own throat. _He killed her._ The sharingan resonated with pain and fury. It sucked away his chakra, insatiate. Drained, he fell forward, unconscious.

* * *

The two jounin sat in silent contemplation.

 _So that's how it was_ , Minato thought. As the Yellow Flash, Minato knew how fast a life could end. But they lived in the shinobi world; death was ever present. By fate or fortune, his students had a second chance to avoid a violent death.

Kakashi lightly clenched his fist. It didn't happen too long ago. The memories were fresh, and he had to remind himself that he'd held her hand; Rin was breathing; she would be fine. _But that doesn't change the fact that you killed her_ , a part of him whispered. And the fact that he killed her didn't change that she was alive now, he thought back.

His fingers slowly uncurled. "Rin didn't do it." Rin wouldn't have received his attack of her own accord. Since Kannabi bridge, sacrificing comrades was never an option, even if the situation seemed desperate.

But that's what was strange—the situation wasn't hopeless.

If there really was nothing they could do, if Rin knew she would die one way or another, she would've used Isobu's powers. Rin, who constantly worked overtime at the hospital; Rin, who carved suiton ditches until the field was closed for repair; Rin, who took the scalpel to her best friend's eye, wouldn't resign herself to death. Most of all, Rin would be the _last_ person to trample on her best friend's nindou, the only rule Obito ever followed—she wouldn't have left him to the enemy.

"Mm," Minato agreed without a second thought. He didn't think Rin would do something like that either. As far as possibilities, that left…

Minato pushed himself up from the table. "Kakashi, I'd like you to double-check something for me."

He led them back to Obito's room and Kakashi felt a cold pit of dread growing in his stomach. He quickened his pace to walk alongside Minato. "You said he had no injuries, so what's wrong with him?" he asked in a rush.

Minato remained unperturbed. He silently opened the door and let them in. He didn't say anything until they both stood next to the bed. "Could you tell me what the sharingan sees?"

Fully alert, Kakashi raised his forehead protector, three battle-scarred tomoe swirling in an orb of red. Obito's chakra flow looked healthy and strong, even along his right side. But past the subdued lines of a seal—what he recognized as Minato's work—the sharingan was drawn to threads of black chakra weaving through his body, spidering from his heart wrapped with a black diamond.

Kakashi stared. The pulse of blood in his ears filled the dead silence. A savage instinct almost usurped his mind. It was the first time he wanted to kill someone.

"It's the same," he said carefully. "Obito has the same thing Rin had on her heart." But he hadn't seen the spidering threads before. "The black chakra extends through his limbs, but aside from his heart, it doesn't look like any other organs are affected."

"I see." It was just as Minato had sensed upon his initial examination. When he'd first arrived in the safehouse with Rin and Obito, he almost hadn't noticed it next to the overwhelming aura of the tailed beast. It was at once obvious the moment Rin was brought away to be examined by the medics.

Kakashi continued to stare at the black diamond pressed into Obito's heart. The sharingan focused back on the faint chakra lines of Minato's seal, patterned for containment and suppression. _If only_ , gnawed at the back of his mind. "It's a seal."

"Ah," Minato confirmed. After Kakashi's report, he was more or less sure of its use. "Kakashi, until Kushina can remove it, I think it's best not to visit Obito in the meantime. The stability of a seal depends on the medium, especially for seals applied to people. Seal tags, self-contained systems like this black chakra seal, can bypass this. But the containment seal will rely on Obito to generate stability."

"I understand." Kakashi knew basic sealing theory, and Obito… He must know what happened to Rin, that he'd broken his promise—and failed them both. Who knew if a scrap of goodwill existed between them now. But Kakashi had no excuses for him. He wouldn't make any either.

Kakashi watched Obito sleep. He'd slept soundly throughout their conversation. _He probably hasn't moved since he fell asleep_ , Kakashi thought absently. His mind wandered to the day he helped Rin clear out Obito's apartment. Except for the gathering dust, the place was tidy. In his room, the bed was neatly made.

" _Rin…_ "

His current thoughts burst like a soap bubble. Obito turned their way and Kakashi's heart was about to jump out of his chest.

" _Rin…_ "

Obito continued to sleep quietly and Kakashi relaxed, inwardly heaving a sigh of relief.

"Sensei," Kakashi finally pulled down his headband, "there's something else I'd like to ask." There were at least fifty Anbu when he fell unconscious. Rin was incapacitated. Minato and Kushina should've been on the Iwa front. (Obito had the same seal Rin had. His right side was weak.) How did they get back to Konoha?

* * *

( Who saved them? )

The boy stood ankle-deep in the blood of the Kiri-nin. He wasn't breathless and the cells from his right side healed a throat raw from yelling. The white spiral masking his face unfurled into spikes, blood flicking off the tips as they straightened to a high collar. This wasn't supposed to happen.

The girl wasn't supposed to survive.

"Rin…" The boy moved towards her, the wood on his back cracking off a spiraling tree. He waded through the blood and gore, thick lines of it slowly dripping to the ground. Rin and Kakashi were right where they'd fallen, lying face up and still. The seafoam green chakra that first bubbled around her had turned into a flaming cloak. Obito knelt next to Rin and reached out with his right. The white one saw this as its last chance, but when it felt the danger, it was too late.

"Wait, Obito—!"

The chakra lapped at his hand and the white crackled and morphed into wood, quickly spreading up his arm. The sharingan activated instinctively and Obito hastily phased out of the borrowed body, clutching the stump of his right arm as he backpedaled. He watched as the growing tree immediately ripped through the black cloak and stood over what remained of the white spiral one.

"What happened!?" Obito cried out, shocked. "Guruguru!"

The white one didn't answer, submerged in the blood and covered by roots.

Obito looked on in horror. After everything Guruguru did to help him, he… Obito stepped towards the tree with a quiet splash. "Guruguru?"

Nothing.

Obito shut his eye tight. Guruguru might've been annoying, but without his help in the cave and the battle here, he didn't know what would've happened to Rin (or Kakashi). If the spiral one didn't work for some crazy missing-nin, maybe they would have been friends. _Thank you_. Obito opened his eye and looked back to his unconscious teammates.

Quiet splashes followed him as he made his way back to Rin. But when he began to pass Kakashi, his feet came to a stop on their own. It was habit, several odd years of errand-filled mornings, as much as it was an itch—why did he do it? He looked down to his side. Kakashi had a distinct white chakra, but his reserves were so sparse, it looked like wisps of smoke, the flow of it slow and weak. Obito looked to Rin's amorphous glow, brimming with life energy. He knew what she would say.

"Tch," Obito huffed before he knelt down. He placed his left hand over Kakashi's stomach. His chakra control was even worse with his left, but the central node should be able to handle it if he transferred too much. Obito watched as the wisps of chakra brightened to a white flame, and then ended the transfer. He gazed at the other's masked face, eye landing upon the scar guarding his left eye and…tear tracks.

 _Why did he do it?_ Obito stood up, quiet splashes filling the silence again. He could think about it later.

He finally knelt by Rin's side. The chakra cloak was burning away the blood around her. Even the blood from her mouth had disappeared. The only blood within the shroud circled the tailed beast ball nestled in the wound, bands of red flowing over a swirl of violet and white. Her blood glowed with the tailed beast's chakra, almost indistinguishable from the shroud, a slight strain for the sharingan to track as it circulated through her body.

He tentatively held his fingers to the fiery cloak. The green chakra lapped against them, imparting a warm feeling, but otherwise, nothing happened. He set a finger beneath her nose and felt gentle puffs of air hit his skin. He reached forward as he had earlier, checking for the pulse beneath her jaw. There was a steady thrum against his fingertips. He placed the back of his hand to the side of her neck. It wasn't too hot or too cold.

Obito removed his hand and sat on the pool's surface beside her. After a long while, he looked past the bloody trees, out into the open. His right arm had only grown back to the elbow. Someone was coming.

* * *

 _TMIT jutsu :  
_ _Exploding Water (Kibakusui): A powerful water-based explosion jutsu._

 _A/N: So, this is my first time writing something so long and serious. It was tough. I didn't realize how nonexistent Kakashi and Rin's relationship was in canon until I wrote this._

 _Obito checking the carotid pulse is canon. Hence, I was a bit…inspired. Next up—Reinforcements!_


	2. Unburied heart

_Beta: CherryBerry12_

 _EDIT 3/15/19: Added details to the beginning's third section and the ending. Some minor sentence edits. Plot stays the same._

* * *

Chapter 2: Unburied Heart

A hawk was soaring above the spiraling trees when a ripple of chakra passed over it. Not a second later, the hawk turned away from the field, flying back towards the forest.

* * *

"I've located the scouts."

After releasing his jutsu, the blond jounin opened his eyes to his patiently waiting team, all genin wet behind the ears. In some unspoken unity, they all wore their forehead protectors as bandana and sported similar grim expressions.

"There's an unknown shinobi guarding them—a sensor—he'll know we're coming. Don't let his ragged appearance fool you. Stay on your guard."

"Yes, sir!" they answered. One followed with a muffled cough.

The group once again sped through the branches, leaving behind a passing breeze. Nearing the forest's edge, they leapt to the ground. Their run slowed to a walk as they passed the last line of trees blocking the moonlit battlefield.

Cracks ran all over the ground, stone rising and sinking like waves. Past this petrified ocean were the trees flown over by the hawk. As they neared, they could make out the bodies, severed and wrung dry, hanging off the trunks. The blood on the bark ran down into a pool at the center, but the red was already turning black. This wasn't the first battlefield this team cleaned up, but it was the most gruesome. No one voiced their thoughts as they walked over the pool's surface, ignoring the stench wafting from above and below.

* * *

Obito stood up, watching the four figures approach. The stylized leaf on their headbands summoned a spark of rage— _Where were they?_ _What took them so long?_ —but the feeling was forgotten in the next second. His limbs seemed to turn to jelly. Just as shock flashed on the genin's faces, the world blurred and tilted sideways.

"Obito!" One genin rushed forward and caught the Uchiha. "Is it really you?! What happened? How are you—" The young genin took in the scarred right side and half an arm. "Your arm…"

"Tokara," the blond jounin called the tongue-tied medic, walking towards them. "Hayate and I will take care of him. Go help Ibiki with Kakashi."

Tokara looked in the direction of his stocky teammate. His brows knit at the sight of the small, blood-soaked jounin being lifted out of the pool. He couldn't tell what injuries Kakashi had from this distance, but knowing Obito, he wouldn't have left him alone if something were wrong.

The sudden weak spell passed. Obito gathered himself and gently shoved Tokara off. "Go." The flare of anger took the last of his energy; he didn't want to deal with anyone anymore. He turned back towards Rin and sat down on the pool's surface.

Tokara looked down at Obito with a thoughtful gaze. Obito's arm wasn't bleeding, so for now, he should be okay. Tokara gripped his weapon, a metal staff; a green chakra flame lit the ring at one end and he crossed to where Ibiki and Kakashi were, lugging the large jar on his back. The blond jounin took the young medic's place next to Obito, shadowed by a young swordsman with dark, sunken eyes.

"Obito, I'll need to confirm your identity."

Obito didn't bother to turn around and greet his superior. He knew who he was—Yamanaka Inoichi of Torture and Interrogation—but so what?

"Do what you want," he answered apathetically. His eyes never left the green flames in front of him.

Inoichi glanced to the young swordsman, Hayate. The genin nodded and moved to stand guard. Inoichi knelt beside Obito and placed a hand on the boy's forehead. "Pardon the intrusion."

His chakra linked with the boy's and he closed his eyes, going to work skimming his most recent memories: _Guruguru! What is this…? I won't believe it! Where's the Yellow Flash!? Guinea pigs… Bones the size of a giant summon… A wall of weapons… Darkness… I'm definitely leaving this place! The call of nature… Wait for me, Rin, Kakashi!_ _A small, red light…_

Inoichi paused. Following his intuition, he concentrated on the red-eyed figure staring at him through the memory.

 _Sitting on a wooden throne was a thin man in a black cloak. His gaunt face and spindly fingers showed he was no more than skin and bones, but you couldn't call his look frail. He sat rigidly as though made of steel. His long, wild hair made his paleness stand out and his sharingan seemed to glow even brighter._

 _"Thank you for saving me," came Obito's voice, but the slight frown never left the elder's face._

 _"It's too early to thank me…" The old man made his promise._

After watching the memories of the old man, Inoichi searched further back for a far-off memory, minor and brief: _The bell at the shop door tingled, followed by a cheerful greeting, "Yamanaka-san! Your best bouquet of roses!"_

Inoichi removed his hand and opened his eyes. The reflection of the green flames did nothing to liven the young man's gaze. He gave a firm pat to the young chuunin's shoulder. "Uchiha Obito, you've worked hard. Leave everything else to us."

Tokara and Ibiki returned to the group with Kakashi strapped to Ibiki's back. Inoichi looked to Hayate once more. The young swordsman accepted the silent order and walked over to Tokara while Ibiki gathered by Inoichi, Obito, and Rin. The two genin moved some distance away as Inoichi knelt down and formed the ram seal. "Ibiki, keep watch."

Inoichi closed his eyes. Veins bulged on his forehead and his chakra spiked. Pulses of unseen energy shot in the direction of the closest outpost.

Meanwhile, Hayate drew his sword, relaxing into a two-handed stance. "There are over thirty corpses. Does your jar have enough room?" He quietly coughed into his sleeve.

Tokara lifted his staff. The ring ignited with a flame of blue chakra. Tokara tapped the flame against the sword and against the rim of the large jar tied to his back. The blue flame swept across the blade's edge and along the mouth of the jar. "The bodies aren't whole, so they should all fit." He set one hand in a half ram seal.

Hayate took that as his cue and sped up one of the bloody spires. _Konoha-ryuu—Meigetsu no Mai!_ Hayate darted between the trees, his blade flashing bright under the moon. Half-corpses fell one after the other, blue flame sticking to where he cut.

 _Fuushi Houin!_ The blue chakra flared around the jar's rim and wind swirled upwards from the opening. A wide vortex caught the falling masses and they disappeared into the vessel. As Hayate landed, the last of the chakra flew off his sword, joining the Kiri remains. The corpse sealing method ended once a black circle formed over the jar's opening, the character for seal (封) branding itself white in the center.

* * *

Several miles south of Hot Springs country, Minato flashed into the lookout tower at Outpost Twelve. He nodded to the sentries who'd been expecting him, and after some last directions, his figure vanished from the tower, reappearing in the north.

Minato was pulling double-time as he raced through the branches. The moment they'd received the emergency transmission at the front, Kushina had buffed his reserves and told him to go. With barely a pause, he beat it to the outpost like a bat out of hell. Whatever already happened, he couldn't change, but they were calling him for support; there was still something he could do.

He sensed seven—eight presences ahead, although the last one was faint and made his heart stutter. He dashed out of the forest towards the spiraling trees and slowed his approach near the pool of blood. He ignored what remained of the carnage, light steps taking him to where everyone was gathered near the strongest and weakest chakra source.

Minato could barely sense Rin through the veil of chakra, a force almost as strong as Kushina's when she tapped into half the Nine-tails' power. He quickly noted Kakashi's unconscious form slumped on Ibiki's back before turning his attention to the only unfamiliar presence—a long-haired boy watching over Rin. If the boy hadn't turned in his direction, he may have never recognized him. He almost _didn't_ recognize him, blood spattered over his right eye and painted down his scarred face.

"Sensei," he called, his voice clear and unmistakably…

Minato's mind tripped over itself even as he moved closer with swift grace. "Obito."

Inoichi took this chance to speak up. "Minato, my team will go ahead and report to Hokage-sama. We can take Kakashi to the hospital," he glanced towards Rin and Obito, "We'll leave these two to you." They couldn't just bring unknown power into Konoha.

"I understand. Leave them to me," Minato agreed solemnly.

Inoichi nodded and looked back to his team. They left the pool of blood before sprinting off the battlefield. Minato watched their retreating figures disappear into the dark forest. He turned back to his remaining students. Obito had gone back to watching over Rin. Minato had noticed his missing forearm.

"I'll carry Rin."

Obito stayed still for a moment before standing back and letting Minato kneel beside her. Minato reached through the chakra cloak without hesitation and carefully lifted Rin. The tailed beast ball stayed suspended in the wound while blood poured into the space underneath the flaming cloak.

"Obito, hold onto my shoulder and don't let go until I say so."

Obito obediently reached out, tightly gripping his sensei's vest. The next second, the three of them flickered from the field.

* * *

There was a dim orange glow as Obito opened his eye. The curtains held back the glare of late afternoon as he stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. It felt like he'd woken up from a very long dream. All he remembered were fragments of green and blue light.

He heard someone shifting and looked to his right. Minato was sitting in a chair by the bed. Seeing that, Obito made to sit up as well. He pushed himself back against the headboard.

Day or night, he'd gotten used to thumping against a bare piece of wood. But this time, he sank soundlessly into a pillow. The gentle resistance reminded him—he was home.

"How are you feeling?"

"Alright," he answered automatically. Was he still in a dream? Obito rubbed his face in his hands before looking up. "How's Rin?"

Minato managed a wan smile, the light smudges under his eyes showing his lack of rest. Despite that, it didn't dampen his cheer. "She's doing well. Kushina and Kurama-san checked on her this morning while you were asleep. Kushina wanted to check on you too, but she had to return to the front."

Obito nodded in understanding. He wondered if it was okay for Kushina and Minato to both be in Konoha this morning, but he didn't think about it too deeply. He was glad that Kushina saw Rin directly.

The pressure on his heart eased and his senses wandered through the safehouse. Rin was hard to miss in her current state, even for non-sensors, but the wards of the safehouse would keep her presence from leaking outside. His sensei was obviously here…

"The medics will check on Rin again tonight."

His attention was pulled back once he heard her name, but quickly drifted off again, returning to the small thought that crossed his mind.

"A couple of them will be staying here to watch over both of you. You might've already met them at the hospital…"

Minato said a few more words, but Obito had already stopped listening. "Where's Kakashi?"

Minato looked at Obito with veiled surprise. Obito didn't reveal a trace of emotion either. He just wanted to know.

Minato scratched his cheek with one finger. "He should be resting at home," he set his hand down, "I asked him not to visit until the seal is removed."

"Oh." Obito wasn't sure what he was expecting. He didn't want to see him anyway. "So it's like that…"

Obito no longer heard the whisper of putrid chakra coming from his heart after Minato suppressed the seal last night, but Obito could feel it was there. He realized that the black chakra seal had to be Madara's work. He told Minato how he was saved by the Uchiha missing-nin before he went to sleep.

"I know you don't get hungry anymore," Minato interrupted his thoughts, "but your body will probably heal faster if you give it some food. How does curry sound?" He gave a warm smile.

Obito allowed the distraction. "Sensei, are you serious? No ramen in a safehouse for Kushina-nee?"

"I'll let Kushina make that when she comes to visit you," Minato parried, standing up. "Come on."

* * *

After Obito washed up, the two settled at the table. Minato told him about Kakashi's report, the Kiri plot to destroy Konoha, and of course, what happened to Rin.

Obito stared at his plate and the spoon left resting on the dish. He looked up, searching for the lie in Minato's face, but of course, there was none. Minato spoke without an ounce of deceit. Would Kakashi lie? Obito laughed at himself once he had the thought. Even if Kakashi wasn't the type to make such a poor lie, how could Minato not catch him if he did?

"That doesn't make any sense," Obito finally refuted with an unwavering calm.

Although nothing changed on the surface, Minato's heart flinched.

After sending Kakashi home and reporting to the Council, Minato met with Inoichi, who told him the results of his cursory field investigation. There were no overt issues. Obito's story matched with what Inoichi reported and there were no memories or thoughts of defection or betrayal. However, Inoichi couldn't access what happened to the Kiri Anbu.

But the results were obvious.

The safehouse air seemed to stagnate.

"Obito—"

"No."

A sharp glint passed his sharingan.

"Rin wouldn't do that and Kakashi wouldn't hurt Rin."

He trained his red eye across the table.

What were shinobi? Death could stare them in the face, and they would still run towards it. Minato accepted his scrutiny. If he was worried at all, it would be for his student. Minato tapped the table once, twice. The dull taps were too quiet to break the silence.

"You're not wrong," he answered carefully, "The lab still has to confirm it, but we're certain there was a jutsu involved."

Obito's face twisted with confusion, his dangerous aura receding. "What jutsu?"

In his explanations, Minato hadn't mentioned one important fact.

Minato looked straight into the sharingan. "Once it's confirmed, we'll let you know."

Obito contemplated that gaze. More had been said in his eyes than his words. Obito was certain his sensei already knew the full circumstances, but he didn't ask after his sensei's thoughts. He trusted that later he'd get his answer.

* * *

Minato dropped off the medics that night. He never told Obito how long the analysis at the lab would take, or when he or Kushina would visit again. Obito quickly learned of the medics' penchant for dice games, but he wasn't about to sit around gambling all day!

Obito busied himself with training and rehabilitation. The containment seal didn't prevent him from using his chakra, so he freely explored his sharingan's new powers and discovered kamui's special dimension. Minato paid a special visit to question him worriedly later that day. When he warped away, Obito tripped a seal that alerts Minato if he or Rin suddenly left the safehouse. Obito continued his practice indoors, learning how his intangibility was connected to the other dimension.

Under the watch of the medics, he soon got used to eating regularly again. His body had no problem adjusting thanks to the cells in his right arm. With eating inevitably came pooping. He didn't think he'd miss it, but he did.

When Obito wasn't training, he'd sit by Rin's bed and watch her chakra flow. He wanted to ask her what happened. _She appeared out of his blind spot._ Sometimes, when he sat in the bath and looked at his right arm, he'd see the moment it sunk into charring flesh.

He didn't know when things changed, when Rin had become his whole world. She'd been with him before they joined the Academy, when they graduated as genin, and when they were promoted as chuunin. She was a greater constant than the sun; there was never a day without her.

He wanted to be Hokage and save the world. Who knew when the world became the girl two streets down, living in the second house on the left?

Trying his best for her felt no different from striving for himself. He naturally felt that they would always be together.

And then, and then…

 _Crash!_

Obito had been absentminded and put too much strength into his punch, taking off the head of the training dummy.

The female medic unhurriedly raised her head from her magazine and surveyed the scene. "Who were you thinking about, Obito? I hope it's not me."

"…Of course not, Ume-nee."

There was only one person who frustrated him even in "death."

Obito really couldn't make heads or tails of him. When that small back defended him at Kannabi bridge, he thought the worst had passed for them. And then…Rin almost died.

How could that happen?

The tears that dried—what did they mean?

* * *

"Odd."

"Even."

The male medic lifted the cup to reveal the dice: a three and a five.

"Whaaaa!? How come you keep winning? This doesn't happen when I play against Sen," the female medic complained as Obito collected her makeshift chips, shuriken.

"How should I know?" Obito whined back. Except for the Legendary Sucker, Tsunade, everyone had a fifty percent chance of winning.

There was a knock at the giant sliding doors and the three paused their game at the dining table. Obito stood up from his chair, watching as seals lit up gold across the door. When the light died down, one side slid open and a flak-jacketed kunoichi with knee-length, coral red hair sashayed through the entrance. She kicked the door closed without looking back.

"Kushina!" The female medic smiled as she went up to her.

"Ume!" Kushina returned with equal fondness and the two old teammates briefly hugged. She grinned towards the male medic following up behind. "Hey, Sen!"

Sen nodded tersely. "He's all yours." He left these words before making his way down the left hall. Ume winked at Kushina before following after her partner medic.

Kushina looked to the only person left in the room. The smile as she greeted the medics felt stuck on her face. She knew this wasn't like any other day, where she'd finish a mission and drop by the training field to pick on a certain Uchiha rascal, but her emotions were already tumbling before she even looked at Obito. And now that she saw him, she didn't know what expression to make.

Obito stood still where he was. Was this guarded stance that thirteen year old chuunin? The scars on his right side seemed to tear into herself. The sharingan he'd always brag about was a blood-soaked red. Although Kushina felt it raise Kurama's hackles, her heart finally moved.

"Obito!" She slammed into him and held him fast. Her red hair blocked the rest of his vision.

"Kushina-nee," his voice wobbled as he hugged her back as tight as his right arm would let him.

They stood like that for a long while. When they finally let go, Kushina held him out and sighted a hand above his head. "Hehe, you grew, dattebane! Your hair too." She peeked over at his right. "And you got yourself a new arm."

Obito laughed a little despite himself. "It's a long story."

The air around them grew dense with chakra. "Minato told me." Kushina cracked her knuckles, hair levitating as her features grew more fox-like. " _That bastard missing-nin_ ," she snarled. "Once Kurama and I finish with him, the Pure Land won't even recognize him!"

"Hahaha…" Even if Madara was a bastard, Obito thought that was a bit excessive. "Kushina-nee, he's a feeble old man."

Kushina turned to him, hair falling limp and fox features retreating. "Minato didn't tell you?"

Obito straightened his back. His eye became piercingly clear. "Tell me what?"

In her mindscape, a large orange fox lounged on an island, chin resting on the back of his hands and nine tails swishing lazily behind him. _Don't say I didn't—_

"Shut up, Kurama," she answered aloud. She knew what she was getting into with their marriage, okay? Minato wouldn't be getting away with this…

Kushina held a fist up and cleared her throat, then pointed down at Obito's chest. "Obito, you know that seal tag on your heart?"

"Yeah."

Kushina watched Obito's expression closely. "The labs confirmed Kakashi's report with the Kiri corpses. They all had traces of the black chakra seal. It's likely they were Madara's men."

The words came down like thunder. Obito felt struck by lightning—why didn't Sensei tell him?—but there was no respite.

"That _feeble old man_ had been pretty busy," Kushina huffed. Her expression entirely fell while Obito's heart and mind raced. Fear already told him the words she was about to say.

"Kakashi said the same seal was on Rin's heart."

The room was deathly quiet.

Obito felt ice crawling over his skin. "What does it do?" he finally mustered.

"It's a cursed puppet seal," Kushina began. "Whoever tagged Rin," she took a breath to quiet the flare of ire, "would be able to control her."

Obito grit his teeth, tamping down the wooden spikes poking at the surface of his skin. _Madara._ The old man tried to kill her. Why would he—

 _Why did he do it?_

Obito blinked, the anger and blood draining from his face. Kushina moved her arm, ready to support him. "Obito, what's wrong?"

 _"You're always saying rin rin rin in your sleep. Are you looking for a bell?"_ Zetsu's voice resurfaced.

 _"Sometimes you say baka baka baka too. And 'bakakashi.' What's a 'bakakashi'?"_ Guruguru chimed in.

"Kushina-nee."

 _"Then we'll ask you about Rin and stupid Kakashi later."_

Wood speared out of his right hand.

"Obito!" Kushina grabbed for his arm, but it went through. Her eyes widened in shock. While caught off guard, he broke the stake from his palm and drove it towards his heart.

A moment later, the tap of wood hitting the floor echoed in the room. Obito's hand was shaking out of the paralysis, his breaths dragging air into his lungs.

"Idiot!" Kushina grabbed his arms and jolted him with one firm shake. "What if you'd actually hurt yourself?!"

"Kushina-nee… Guruguru, the Zetsus, Madara…" He slowly reached for her vest, pale fingers twisting into it. His tears already couldn't stop.

The reality dug into his heart.

"I told them about Rin and Kakashi!"

Kushina relaxed her grip on the boy's arms. "Obito."

"I said I would go back to them. I said I was going to leave."

 _"I was just outside! Rin and stupid Kakashi are in big trouble!"_

"I was so stupid—!"

"Obito!"

"Kushina-nee!" his voice broke and he lowered himself to the floor, hiccoughed sobs shuddering his body. Kushina went with him, alighting like a leaf on water as she sat down.

She pulled him into another hug and stroked his soft hair. She held him for a while, muffled sobs and a patch of dampness growing on her vest.

"Rin and Kakashi are here, Obito. They're safe, so you don't have to cry anymore."

"But I, I could have, killed them. They, they could have…" He forcibly swallowed down the last word.

"Obito, you don't have to protect them alone." She drew back, allowing him to sit up. He sniffled, wiping at his eye. "Obito, we're shinobi. Rin and Kakashi are shinobi. We'll always face danger, and there may come a time when we can't overcome the danger we face."

"Kushina-nee, but it was because I—"

"Obito," she stamped down flatly. "Have you forgotten Minato's words? What's the most important thing to a shinobi?"

Obito sat, stunned by the question.

"Where one falls short, your team will pick up! You have your part in the team, and Rin and Kakashi have theirs. Minato, myself, and everyone in Konoha has their part. The village let a missing-nin escape," Kushina rose from her spot, "but you told Minato that that missing-nin saved you. And now you're back home, with us." She extended her hand out to him.

Obito stared at the proffered hand and followed it up to Kushina's smile. He looked back down and grabbed on firmly with his left, pulling himself to his feet. "Okay, I get it."

"Good!" She slapped his back, giving him a few more "friendly" pats. "Don't. Try. To pull. Any. Shit. Like. Stabbing. Yourself. Again!"

"I won't! Kushina-nee! It hurts!"

She huffed. "So you know!"

He'd just finished crying when he felt the prick of tears again.

Kushina mercifully stopped and stretched her arms. "Anyway, I didn't come here to beat you up and make you cry. Kurama and I are here to get rid of that stupid seal! But, not gonna lie," Kushina felt a bit guilty looking at her teary-eyed little bro, "it'll probably feel like your insides are being set on fire."

At one time, Obito might've been afraid of the pain. But for a person who was crushed by a boulder, underwent un-anesthetized eye surgery, and almost lost his friend—the pain from the first two couldn't hold a candle to the third. "Fire? Fire's an Uchiha's best friend! I've got this."

Kushina laughed. Gold chakra whipped around her entire body and a shining chakra cloak snapped into place. Fox ears flickered on her head and her pupils turned into vertical slits. "Then let's get that shitty chakra out of you!"

* * *

Obito lay on the floor with Kushina and Ume sitting on either side of him.

"Are you sure we can't numb him?" Ume worried. Kushina asked her to monitor Obito, but she hadn't asked for anything else.

Kushina held her hands in a ram seal, cloaked hair flowing out behind her. "Obito should stay awake as long as possible. His seal might react differently from the samples Minato brought me from the lab. If it has any unknown effects, it'd be better to be awake. Ready, Obito?"

"Ready!"

A glowing claw from her hair landed on his belly and a vermillion chakra shroud spread from the palm, bubbling over him. Obito relaxed into the warm chakra blanket, feeling the wash of it as it entered and circulated through his network. Minato's seal burned away and Obito felt his chest tighten. Once the squeezing sensation ended, his chest felt lighter. That's when the burning started.

Pin pricks became pincers biting _everywhere_ , like he'd put on a suit filled with fire ants. His head was spared, but he didn't know whether that made him feel worse or not. He was already sweating before he started to feel the searing heat from the chakra. And when it fully engulfed him…Kushina wasn't lying. Obito conked out, frothing at the mouth after a few minutes of Kurama's chakra forced into his extremities.

"We're not killing him, right?" Kushina checked with Ume and Kurama.

"He's alright, just fainted," Ume confirmed after performing a sweep with medical chakra.

 _My chakra's only burning up the oily bastard's_ , Kurama reported. _It's pretty nasty how it's hooked into his muscles._ Kurama fell silent in thought.

Noticing the stir of his feelings, Kushina looked back in her mindscape. "What is it?"

Kurama relaxed his glare to look down at his host. "The black chakra—it isn't Madara's. I would have recognized it if it was his." His lips pulled back, fangs bared at a memory. He didn't get controlled by the rogue-nin's sharingan just to forget.

Kushina pat the fur on his arm, sending her own chakra to soothe her friend's bubbling anger. _Don't worry_. She returned her attention outside. Ume had fixed up Obito and was monitoring him dutifully. _We'll make sure he's taken care of once and for all_.

 _And whoever else was involved, they better watch their back._

* * *

When Obito came to, he found himself lying in bed. He thought he had it bad in the cave—he couldn't even lift a finger now. Except for his face, every single muscle was sore. It even hurt to think about moving. Still, he forced himself to look to the side, sensing Kushina was there.

"The black chakra's all gone!" she happily announced from her seat by the bed. When he continued to struggle to turn his head, she couldn't help speaking up. "Hey, hey, it's too soon to injure yourself again. Don't push it."

Obito exhaled all at once like he'd put down a large weight. He'd tilted his head enough to see Kushina. He laid still to catch his breath. Testing his voice, he found he could talk with no problem. "Thanks, Kushina-nee. Kurama."

Kushina smiled. "Just treat us to some ramen later, then we'll call it even!" she grinned.

Obito put on his best puppy act. "But Kushina-nee, wasn't this done out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Can't you take an excuse to get ramen when you see one!?"

He didn't seem to notice. "Kushina-nee."

"Hm? What is it, Obito?"

"…Could you cut my hair?"

* * *

Kushina examined her work in the mirror, holding her chin thoughtfully. "It might've been better if you waited to see Hasami-baachan…"

"No, this is good." It really didn't look bad. Short and choppy, just like before. He shook his head slowly, feeling nothing brushing his back or weighing down his head.

Kushina ruffled his hair to test it for herself and snickered. "I like it like this too!"

Obito stared at his reflection in the mirror. He felt a lot more like himself.

* * *

There was a small ceremony in the village center to welcome Obito back. News of a returning war hero boosted the morale of the village for the winter. The change of weather strained the war efforts on all fronts, choking out most of the conflicts, but that didn't mean Konoha could let her guard down.

Despite being reinstated, Obito wasn't enlisted to active duty immediately. He left the village square after greeting all the excited wrinkled smiles he could. Most of the Uchiha who attended came and left just as quietly. A few off-duty classmates had gone to say hi. A spiky head of silver hair had been absent.

The snow crunched under his new sandals and he let out a fog of breath as he adjusted his scarf. He looked up at the grey sky and towering apartments of Konoha covered with a blanket of snow. It felt like yesterday that it was all green.

Obito padded down the roads and ignored the glances some of the villagers stole. Minato arranged for him to get his old apartment back. Vacancies popped up more than renters during the war. He paused in front of the old landlady's door and knocked. For a second, he wondered if she was still living here. It didn't take long for the door to creak open.

He smiled, breaking into a grin. "Kaname-baachan!"

Maybe it was her failing eyesight that let her smile at him as if nothing had changed. "Obito-kun," she warbled happily. "Come in, come in!"

* * *

The two sat at a low, heated table with steaming cups of tea. "Forgive me, Obito-kun. The apartment hasn't been cleaned yet."

"It's okay, Kaname-baachan," he quickly reassured her. With fewer tenants and more resources siphoned to the war, the cost of a D-rank might be more than she could afford now. "I haven't been taking missions for a while. My body could use a workout."

The crow's feet at the corners of her eyes crinkled with her smile. She reached for a decorated tin in the center of the table and popped the cover off. It was filled with a variety of hard candy. "Here, have some, have some!"

After chatting a bit and helping himself to a piece of candy, Obito left to clean up his old home.

Kaname-baachan hummed to herself as she tidied up. "Such good boys, such good boys…"

* * *

Obito stood outside the door of his old apartment. A few minutes passed before he finally opened it. "I'm back," he greeted the house. Despite what she'd said, it looked like Kaname-baachan had the place cleaned regularly. There was only a thin layer of dust. Obito set the cleaning supplies he'd borrowed just inside the entrance and closed the door.

* * *

At the yawning gates of Konoha, a team arrived to check in. It would be years until another pair of chuunin took up gate duty, but until then, the current gatekeepers diligently completed their task. After verifying their identification, the shinobi walked down the main road leading up to Hokage tower. Despite the war and the cold weather, villagers bustled around the streets. It didn't differ from most days, but compared to the quiet air when they departed, the village was filled with cheer.

"Was there a festival around this time?"

"Maybe everyone's getting ready for Christmas."

"Isn't that still weeks away?"

The team members chatted with each other while following their jounin leader, who seemed to be off in his own world. Once they arrived at the mission desk, the team quickly submitted their report before heading their separate ways.

When the jounin leader finally returned from his thoughts, he found himself at a snow-dusted memorial stone. Today, the frost on the stone face made one spot stand out even more. His heart rate sped up as he knelt down and ran his fingers across the empty space where Obito's name used to be.

"Was that today?"

He remained still for a moment before standing up and flickering away from the memorial grounds.

* * *

 _TMIT jutsu :_  
 _Konoha-style Harvest Moon Dance (Konoha-ryuu – Meigestu no Mai): A sword technique used to cut down large numbers of enemy in quick succession._

 _Corpse Sealing Method (Fuushi Houin): Most ninja corpses aren't worth collecting, but safe transport of deceased bloodline limit users and bodies carrying village secrets is a must. Each village has their variant of this technique._

 _A/N: Well, they're finally meeting next chapter c:_


	3. Things that change and stay the same

_Beta: CherryBerry12_

 _EDIT 4/30/19: Major revision from the 3rd section to the ending. Slight effect on later events. Special thanks to Guest for the review!_

* * *

Chapter 3: Things that change and stay the same

Kakashi flickered into existence at one end of the shopping street. From the stillness of the memorial, he was now surrounded by the lively village atmosphere. The noise gradually calmed his heart and he entered the flow of shopping villagers.

Kushina taught him the seal to the safehouse two months ago when the cursed seal was removed, but Kakashi hadn't gone to visit. Not once. Several reports had reevaluated the B-rank scouting mission as an S-rank. Minato couldn't tell him all the details, but Kakashi learned a powerful missing-nin was involved and still at large.

The events in Northern Hot Springs weren't by coincidence. Lacking information, Kakashi could only guess. How long ago was this ambush planned? Who had manipulated his and Rin's mission assignment? Whether it was the missing-nin or a third party, he wouldn't risk leading any danger back to his friends.

But that didn't matter for Obito anymore. His location was no longer secret.

Kakashi wandered the stalls and started buying things for the get-well-turned-housewarming gift he didn't have the chance to give earlier. The middle-aged lady at the stall he was currently browsing smiled at the growing pile of gifts in his hands. "Which friend is this for?"

"A teammate," Kakashi said as he compared one apple to another. "It's a welcome back gift."

Her cheeks puffed up with joy and she nodded with deep understanding.

When he was ready to pay, she gave him a discounted price.

"…Thank you, Matsui-san."

"A little service for our hard-working heroes," she smiled. "You and your friend take care!"

Kakashi nodded in thanks and left to browse the next stall. That wasn't the first time he'd received a "hero" or "special day" discount. Of course, there were other stall owners who claimed the stock would go bad soon, or that buying X amount had a bargain price, but many others like Matsui-san alluded to the day—the conferment and reinstatement ceremony he'd missed for Konoha's new Guardian of the Hidden Leaf, Uchiha Obito.

It was spring when the village held his funeral; after the harvest, they celebrated his return. Some shinobi respected Obito for his actions during Kannabi bridge. None could deny his heroic achievements in Northern Hot Springs. As for the villagers, they knew Obito years before his war hero days. The countless errands and favors accumulated—and the result was this bustling scene. After his loss, his return was clearly felt.

Kakashi finished preparing his gift. Just as he was about to leave the area, someone called from the side.

"Kakashi!"

More and more people were calling out to him like this. Kakashi turned to see a taller youth with a dark red cloth across his nose waving at him. A shorter, trench coat-wearing companion was walking beside him with a bored look and hands in his pockets. A bandana covered his head, tied in a knot in the front, and he chewed on a senbon needle like a toothpick.

"You just got back?" Raidou asked.

"Yeah. What's up?" Kakashi looked from Raidou to the shorter Genma.

The corner of the chuunin's mouth lifted slightly. "Nothing much. It looks like you already know he's back." Genma looked up at the overcast sky. Light glowed behind the clouds like the sun could break through at any moment. "Never thought I'd see a good day during this war."

Successful missions didn't mean there weren't sacrifices, what's more of the unsuccessful ones. Thousands of shinobi wouldn't be as lucky as Obito.

Kakashi hummed in agreement.

Genma looked back at him. His smirk was now a genuine smile. Although Kakashi was their superior, the two older boys went up and clapped his shoulders as they went past. "We won't hold you up!" Genma waved without looking back.

Kakashi watched his old classmates moving further and further away before turning around and walking down another road.

* * *

Raidou and Genma turned a corner and strolled alongside a wooden fence. As they passed a certain point, a part of the fence popped out in a square shape. The fence-patterned cloth folded away, revealing a genin who pushed up the bridge of his circular glasses. "Raidou, Genma, any news?"

"Let's discuss it at the meeting place," Genma answered.

Ebisu joined them and the group entered the nearby dango tea shop, where another group of young shinobi were gathered at a table. Except for Ebisu, all of them were chuunin.

"Thanks for your hard work," Genma told the group as the three new arrivals settled at the table. For active and energetic shinobi, the agony of waiting for an update was far worse than seeking out information themselves.

"No, I understand the importance of this matter!" Gai, in his signature green garb and bowl cut, declared steadfastly from one corner of the table. He looked like he might jump out of his seat if the other three shinobi weren't surrounding him.

"Of course! We should support our friends!" Kurenai, a pretty kunoichi with red eyes and long, wavy black hair, chimed in from her seat on the other side of the table. Asuma, a handsome and suave-looking youth, sat next to her and across from Gai.

"Never mind that! What'd you find out? We need details!" Aoba, a youth with spiky hair and red-rimmed sunglasses, slapped his hands on the table. The tea in their cups barely rippled.

"Huge gift basket. Nuff said. I think if we arranged anything, it really would've been unnecessary," Genma reported while appearing disinterested.

"The fruits on top did seem to be hiding something…" Raidou commented.

"What fruits? How many? There might be a hidden meaning!" Aoba latched on, budding intelligence officer that he was.

"He would think of such a thing? As expected of My Rival!" Gai's side of the table was heating up.

"Fellas, we're talking about Kakashi here," Asuma spoke up. "You can't make him eat anything unhealthy. Now that our resident sweet tooth is back, he's probably worried Obito will get a cavity if he picks up his candy habit again. That's all."

"Ohhhh!" Gai and Aoba yelled in unison.

"Rin didn't even worry about that, so why would Kakashi?" Kurenai shut down their enthusiasm. She really missed her friend. After the morning ceremony, she could finally feel at ease hearing the good news about her from Obito.

Asuma smiled at Kurenai before taking the floor again. "It sounds like Kakashi has everything covered, so let's end this meeting. As we agreed before, we won't interfere with their reunion."

Several voices assented at once.

"Then for tomorrow, who will be in charge of…"

* * *

 _Knock, knock!_

Obito just finished cleaning the living room and setting up the portable heater when there was a knock at the door. He could already sense who his visitor was. He set the last chair back at the table before heading to the entrance.

The door clicked open and he saw an old teammate standing in the hall, looking down at a colorful basket cradled in one arm. The red and orange fruits stood out against the grey of his travel cloak. His head perked up. Between the mask and forehead protector, his face was barely shown, just the patch around his right eye.

His shoulders relaxed and he lifted his free hand in a casual wave. "Yo."

Obito stared dumbly.

Meanwhile, Kakashi observed Obito's unchanged scars and shortened hair. His forehead protector doubled as an eyepatch with cloth lowered over his left eye. He was wearing a black sweater without his green chuunin vest; nonetheless, his image had greatly matured. The sharingan flickered a bright red. Obito turned to walk back inside, leaving the door open.

"Come in," he spoke neither cold nor warmly.

"Thanks." Kakashi stepped in and closed the door after himself. He glanced over the swept entrance before taking off his sandals and cloak. He made his way to the table and set the fruit basket down. "Congrats on your conferment. Sorry I couldn't make it this morning."

Obito forced on a stiff smile. "It's no big deal! You're coming to see me now, right?"

Kakashi watched Obito kick at the floor awkwardly. "…Right."

Kakashi noticed the cleaning supplies set off to one side. "You were cleaning? How about I help?" He took one step in that direction when his arm was suddenly grabbed.

"Waitwaitwait, wait a sec!"

Kakashi paused, stunned by the reaction. "Are you worried I'll find something bad?" Obito had no dirt to speak of, unless you count his chaste picture collections, and trying to kiss said chaste picture collections.

"I don't have anything _bad_! And that's not what I meant!" Obito let Kakashi go. "Didn't you just get back from a mission?"

"I clean my place whenever I return from a mission. It's no big deal," Kakashi replied lightly.

"But you would be cleaning my place, then cleaning your place! Isn't your constitution weaker? Don't force yourself!"

Kakashi was patiently listening to his tirade when his brow furrowed. "Who told you I had a weaker constitution?"

"Uh, I was guessing." Obito immediately quieted and rubbed the back of his head. It only took a second to check Kakashi's chakra at the entrance.

Kakashi had fully recovered since the last time he saw him, but it was strange—his chakra distribution was irregular. Compared to the fierce brightness he first saw upon awakening his sharingan, the chakra node at Kakashi's stomach seemed dim. Now, the densest glow of chakra gathered at his left eye…

Kakashi sighed. So Obito hadn't caught wind of his chronic chakra exhaustion…

"The mission was a routine supply escort. You only feel tired when you're scheduled to rest," Kakashi assured. Before he could continue, he was interrupted.

"How's your eye?"

Kakashi blinked in surprise. The change in subject seemed a little abrupt. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Obito laughed a bit. He knew they were asking for different reasons. "It's fine."

"Hm…" Admittedly, Kakashi could see for himself. He blatantly pushed his headband up and activated the sharingan.

He couldn't hide all of his amazement. Obito's right side was so dense with chakra, he almost couldn't see the flow of blue flames within it. The immense chakra fed back into Obito's original pathways, continuously expanding his reserves at the core node.

Unexpectedly, Kakashi saw chakra was still flowing to where the left sharingan was missing. On the other side, Obito's right eye wasn't gathering too much chakra. It was probably consuming the minimum amount for activation. With Obito's buffed chakra reserves, constant activation wouldn't pose a problem.

Obito was truly fine, and he wasn't idle when Kakashi was examining him with the sharingan.

Their reunion in Northern Hot Springs notwithstanding, this was the first time Obito could see his and Rin's handiwork. As expected…

It looked really cool!

Seeing the scar, Obito was reminded of his own and unconsciously smiled. Had he caught up? If they were to spar now, who would win? Before his mind could run off with those thoughts, his smile dropped and his attention sharpened. Kakashi's chakra consumption seemed pretty heavy…

Kakashi pulled his headband back down before Obito could say anything.

"…It looks like your sharingan works all right, but you shouldn't use it for a long time," Obito advised.

"Mm," Kakashi agreed. "I can manage it."

Obito held some doubt, but they could revisit the matter another time. This was the first time they were seeing each other in a while. There were other things that needed to be said.

"Kakashi."

The atmosphere immediately became solemn. Kakashi's heart thudded against his chest even as he looked calm on the outside.

As he continued training and fighting in the war, Kakashi managed to come to terms with himself. He didn't forget his failures in the past, but he no longer let them weigh on his heart. Well, not as much as before. Guilt wouldn't change what happened to Rin and Obito. He could only dedicate himself to improvement and training—to becoming the blade that would never let his comrades die.

Obito clenched his fist and Kakashi braced himself.

"Sorry."

Obito looked down.

"I made you and Rin go through a lot."

Kakashi was… baffled. "What are you talking about Obito? You saved us." He lowered his gaze. "I'm the one who should be apologizing."

Obito recalled the moment chidori struck—sent to him from his gifted sharingan—and breathed out. "It wasn't your fault." He tried to keep his voice even, but it faltered in the end.

Kakashi silently looked back up. He let the silence continue for a few seconds.

"Whose fault do you think it is?"

Obito pursed his lips. A small part of himself was still indulged in self-reproach— _you were the cause, you_ _were_ _almost_ _the death of your friends_. But he ignored the demons whispering in his mind. He raised his head and their eyes met. Kakashi's eye was clear, without a trace of hostility from their past.

"War, missing-nin, shinobi—whose fault is it?"

Kakashi wasn't expecting an answer and continued on.

"Shinobi clans began as people trying to establish their own place in this world. We learned to use chakra for battle, but that's not how we started. Hatake were farmers before some of us joined Konoha."

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, it's not like I really know much about this. Sensei just brought it up once, and since you want to become Hokage, I thought you'd like to think about it."

Obito was at a loss.

"Anyway, you don't have to apologize, Obito. I'm sure Rin would agree." He eye-smiled. "We're glad to have you back."

Obito also felt himself smile lighter than before.

* * *

So things returned to the matter of cleaning.

"Kakashi, I can clean on my own…"

 _But that ruins my plans…_ Kakashi wracked his brain for a reasonable excuse. "But I just brought this food as a gift. You can't just leave it out now that the heater's on."

"It won't spoil right away—"

"There are things that go in the freezer."

"What is it, ice cream?" Obito wore a skeptical look.

There was nothing that needed to go in the freezer. Kakashi gave up on pretending. "I… Actually, I wanted to make something…"

"Why didn't you say so?! Go ahead!" The last time Obito had this guy's cooking, they were seven. The White Fang was out on a mission and he and Rin stumbled upon Kakashi's old house while he was grilling fish. Long story short, Kakashi could be trusted with food. Obito received a small allowance upon his reinstatement and his parents' inheritance was once again transferred to him, but it was better not to spend freely until he picked up missions again.

 _Didn't your tune change too fast? What happened to worrying about a friend who just got back from a mission?_ Kakashi thought. Well, it was fine.

Before either of them could get started, they heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!"

Obito zoomed to the door and saw the landlady outside with a small stack of lunch boxes. "Kaname-baachan!" He quickly ushered her in and closed the door. It actually wasn't that much warmer inside, but everyone was dressed warmly anyway.

"You must be hungry by now," Kaname-baachan comforted as she handed the lunch boxes over. "Eat up, eat up! I'll see myself out." That's when she noticed the other pair of sandals by Obito's feet.

"Ooya-san," Kakashi came over and respectfully greeted her.

"Kakashi-kun! So you were here," she voiced with pleasant surprise.

"You two know each other?" As soon as he asked, Obito realized Kakashi must've been the one to move his stuff back in.

Kaname-baachan only smiled. "Luckily, I made enough for both of you. Don't let it get cold!"

The landlady didn't give Obito a chance to keep her as she slipped out.

The two shared a look and got down to business. After a lunch of steamed vegetables, rice, black cod, and miso soup, Kakashi took the dishes to the kitchen and Obito went to his old room.

From the doorway, the closet was to his right and in the far corner was an empty bookshelf. The books from that shelf probably filled at least seven of the twelve boxes in the middle of the room. Next to the bookshelf was a desk set in front of the window. Going further left, there was a low cabinet set in the corner where scrolls used to be kept.

After dusting the place, he found the closet was already cleaned and a fresh futon was stored inside. The closet was quickly filled with his new clothes. Kushina bought him a few sets to help him adjust, including the one he was currently wearing.

He found the boxes with books and scrolls and sat down to sort them, quickly losing track of time. The few he decided to keep went straight onto the shelf. The unwanted piles were sorted for the Academy, orphanage, and to sell and were repacked. His old lamps were placed on the desk and the floor where he'd lay his bed out later. The alarm clock was set aside. He needed to buy batteries.

He sighed as he looked at the two boxes filled with Uchiha clan clothes he'd outgrown. Maybe some old Uchiha grandmothers would reuse the hand-me-downs of a war hero. He saw something shine within the box and pulled it out. It was a worn pair of goggles that should've been lost during Kannabi bridge.

He tucked it back in the box of old clothes and set them aside.

The last box was the lightest one. It had several carefully wrapped items in it.

He took one of the items and unfolded the paper around it. The first picture on top was the only photo he had of his parents; they were holding him when he was just born. The rest were candid pictures of Rin which were once pinned up on the corkboard now lying flat on his desk. Since Rin was designated on his ninja registration to inherit his possessions, she must've seen them already…

Did she find out about his feelings for her? Did she think he was weird now? (No, he knew, but his brain would still ask.) Or did she and Kakashi. Get. To. Geth—

"Argh!" Obito slumped in front of the box. He didn't get that sort of vibe when Kakashi mentioned Rin earlier though.

Please no! Or he didn't want to be here!

"You're not done?"

Kakashi poked his head in and saw Obito doubled over by the box with mementos. Obito looked back at him with a gloomy stare.

"You have something to say?"

"No."

"Then I'm borrowing your bath."

"Sure."

Once Kakashi left, it clicked. Obito hurriedly refolded the paper and put the photos back. "Wait! Doesn't it need to be cleaned still?"

As Obito ran over, an aroma from the kitchen distracted him. He looked in and saw the fruit basket was moved there, but it wasn't as full as before. There was also a ceramic pot on the stove set to low heat and washed knives and dishes on a rack. The once empty kitchen was entirely outfitted. And looking past the light aroma—the air smelled fresh like spring in the mountains.

 _What the—_

Kakashi stepped out of the bathroom at that moment in different clothes, no forehead protector, and a towel around his neck. "Everything's been cleaned. You can go in and bathe."

Obito snapped out of it. "You cleaned it all?!"

"Yeah," Kakashi answered as he took a seat at the table and pulled a book out of nowhere. "Since I was done with the kitchen and you were still in your room, I cleaned the bathroom too."

While Kakashi started reading his book, Obito looked in the bathroom not willing to believe. The sink and toilet were sparkling and the air was scrubbed so clean, someone might mistake this for the Pure Land.

Obito felt an odd sense of defeat.

He went to collect the washed lunch boxes from the kitchen listlessly. The rags needed to be laundered before he could return the cleaning supplies. He waved a lunch box on his way out. "Be back!" Kakashi hummed in reply as Obito left to return the items to the landlady.

* * *

"Thanks, Kaname-baachan! Lunch was delicious!"

"I'm glad you liked it," she accepted the lunch boxes and insisted on inviting him in, "How's the cleaning going?" Her old birdsong voice lifted his dampened mood.

"Finished!" Obito sat down at the low table. "I'll wash the rags before returning them to you."

"I gave you the new ones, right? Just keep them as your own supplies!" she piped up from the kitchen. "I'm sure that's why he asked me to hold onto them."

"Really? Who's so generous?"

Kaname-baachan returned with a tray holding a teapot and two cups. "A nice young man has been helping me clean the vacant apartments. Those supplies belonged to him."

Obito leaned on the table as the landlady prepared the tea. "Kaname-baachan, just tell me. I'll have to thank him."

"It was Kakashi-kun," she replied while placing a tea cup in front of the shell-shocked chuunin.

"Ka—" Did he hear right? " _Kakashi_?"

Kaname-baachan picked up her own cup of tea and took a sip. "Mm! A few months ago, Kakashi-kun asked if I needed help taking care of the vacancies. After that, he helped clean the apartments every couple of weeks."

 _You can take it as thanks for allowing us to reserve it_ , Kakashi had told her. _It'll also make moving in easier later._

Obito walked back to his apartment in thought.

They'd been apart for over half a year. They managed to reconcile their differences during Kannabi bridge, but since then, he didn't know how much Kakashi had changed.

Obito entered his apartment without a greeting, briefly forgetting he left someone there.

"Oh, you're back." Kakashi snapped his book shut with both hands. He slunk off the chair to stand. "I'll be going then."

"What? Where are you going?" Obito was confused by the sudden situation.

Kakashi gave him his usual deadpan stare. "I still have to clean my apartment."

"Then why did you take your book out and make yourself at home?" Obito deadpanned in return.

Kakashi looked up to the side, like the answer might be there. Usually, he would've washed up at home and relaxed. You could say he was done here. But before he knew it, he went and pulled out a book. Habit was a scary thing. Turning back, he shrugged. "I forgot."

Obito was rendered speechless. Was this still Kakashi? He could be this careless? He resisted the urge to check with his sharingan.

"If you forgot, forget it." Obito easily accepted things. "Since you helped clean, just stay over. What's cooking on the stove anyway?"

"Oden."

"Okay, I'm gonna wash up. You can go back to reading or whatever."

Kakashi nodded with an "Nn" and took up his spot at the table again.

How should he put it? Obito contemplated the scene of Kakashi lazing around in the living room. When he first found out who his last teammate was, this is what he imagined it would be like.

Obito smiled to himself and started humming without regard for his audience as he got ready for his bath. After the door to the bathroom shut, the apartment regained its peace.

A few minutes later, Kakashi looked up from his book. He tucked the book under his arm, where it vanished into a dark seal on his sleeve. He quietly left Obito's apartment and walked down the hall with his hands in his pockets. He took the stairs to the second floor and stopped to unlock one of the doors.

"I'm home," he said to the empty apartment. He formed a kage bunshin to brave the dust bunnies and waited at the entrance.

When he started to help upkeep the vacancies, he didn't plan on moving into one. The landlady proposed that he take one of the other units and save himself the effort of cleaning an extra apartment. She also guaranteed the rent would be lower, not only on account of his help. Kakashi decided a change in environment might be good for himself.

The bunshin returned with his futon and poofed away after handing it over. Kakashi sighed. Maybe he was tired. He almost overlooked this. Not that he was opposed to sharing a futon (it was just sleeping next to a friend) but…

Kakashi shook his head and left his apartment. It's gotten better in the past months, but he didn't want Obito to find out about it if possible.

* * *

Meanwhile, Obito was blissfully soaking in the tub. He wasn't thinking about anything in particular when his thoughts wandered back to being a good host.

 _Since Kakashi's staying over… There's only one futon… ONE FUTON!_

The water splashed wildly as Obito began to stand up, but he stopped himself and calmly sat down.

 _So what?_ _Wasn't it just like having a portable back heater? It was winter, there's no central heating, two bodies were better than one! But what if it bothers Kakashi? No, he probably wouldn't care—_

Obito blinked. He didn't sense Kakashi in the apartment anymore.

Didn't he agree to stay over?! "Reading or whatever" didn't mean leaving! If he was cleaning his own apartment right now, Obito would hunt him down.

Obito spread his senses and pinpointed Kakashi out in the hall.

* * *

"Kakashi!" The bathroom door flew open. Obito was prepared to convince Kakashi with one hundred and one reasons to stay over—when he saw the futon bundle over his shoulder.

Kakashi didn't expect to see an eyeful of half-naked Uchiha once he came back. "I just left to get this," he patted the bundle like it wasn't obvious enough.

"Oh…" His worries evaporated and Obito quickly shifted his focus. "You can bring that over here." He motioned for Kakashi to follow him as he walked to his room.

Kakashi was about to follow, but haltingly set his foot back down. "I can sleep in the living room."

"You're not sleeping in the living room," Obito flatly dismissed and walked ahead, "There's enough room for both of us!"

Kakashi heard the sound of boxes being shoved around and eventually walked over there.

Obito had thrown on some pants. He was pulling a shirt on and pointed to a clear spot in the middle of the room when Kakashi arrived. "You can set it down there." Obito pulled his own futon out and began to set up next to the closet. After the futons were laid out, the two returned to the living room.

"Is it finally done? So hungry…"

"Yeah. Let's eat."

Kakashi got a hot plate from one of the kitchen cabinets and placed it in the center of the table. Obito helped to set two seats with bowls, cups, and chopsticks. Any place where Kushina cooked collected ample kitchen supplies.

The rice had already been made and the tea was freshly brewed, with the teapot and rice cooker set at opposite ends of the table. After checking the main dish, the ceramic pot was brought over and transferred to the hot plate. The lid was lifted, releasing the concentrated aroma of the broth.

"Thanks for the meal!" they said together.

…

Oden was a dish where many ingredients were simmered in a broth for hours. Not all, but many of the common ingredients were fried—fried tofu, fried-tofu-wrapped mochi, fried fishcakes, and fried fishcake or tofu patties with bits of vegetables mixed in. Being in Team Minato and Rin's best friend, Obito knew very well Kakashi didn't like these things. And this oden had all of them.

When Kakashi said he had to clean his apartment—was he trying to cook and run?

The other ingredients made Obito think otherwise. There were the usual non-fried ingredients—daikon, konnyaku, pillowy fishcakes, and hard-boiled eggs—along with stuffed cabbage rolls and various bundles of greens and enoki mushrooms tied with white noodles. Sliced green onions and pink-swirled fishcakes also decorated the dish, giving color to an otherwise brown and white palette.

Meals like this weren't too rare or common in Team Minato, but they weren't something Obito always experienced in his life. He was fortunate that his parents were skilled shinobi and Uchiha. It guaranteed his own housing and there were elders in the village willing to look after him. Otherwise, he'd have gone to the orphanage like his sensei did. Whenever he could have these meals, he really appreciated them.

When Obito stopped eating for a while, Kakashi spoke up. "Is something wrong?"

Obito shook his head with a smile.

"Kakashi, thanks for today."

It took a few seconds to sink in. Kakashi also smiled, without a mask to hide it.

"I'm glad I could help."

* * *

The rest of dinner was a quiet but familiar affair. There was no rush to cover everything that was going through their minds. (Also, Obito didn't want to ask about _that_ right now. His heart wasn't ready.) Obito washed the dishes and Kakashi helped put things away, like this was a regular drill for Team Minato.

The two now sat on their futons in meditation, circulating their chakra and restoring the energy they spent during the day. Obito slowly opened his eye first. He now had a lot of chakra to spare, but he knew he shouldn't be complacent. He watched as Kakashi concentrated on building his chakra levels. Today it was just cleaning, but it showed that if he didn't work hard, others would easily surpass him.

"How's Rin?" Kakashi broke the silence and opened his one eye, keeping the sharingan closed.

Obito didn't ask him why he didn't visit. "Her body's fully recovered, but she hasn't woken up yet. Kushina-nee said it should be any day now."

"That's good to hear."

It became quiet again. A few seconds later, Kakashi moved to go under the covers.

"Goodnight," he said, laying down with his back turned to Obito.

"Goodnight…" Obito hid under his own duvet and tried to fall sleep.

* * *

It was early morning and Kakashi arrived at the training field. Rin was waiting there as she practiced her hand seals. Obito, Sensei, and Kushina weren't there yet.

Kakashi was pleasantly surprised. "Rin."

She turned his way. Her smile couldn't hide the fresh blood dripping from her lips. The world turned red and twisted.

* * *

Kakashi woke with a start, springing to a seat as he gripped the covers. The dry air lifted the sweat from his back and the slight chill immediately sobered him. The room was still dark, and tinged with red. He blinked with both eyes before winking the sharingan shut. He took a few more breaths through his mask, releasing his grip on the covers before looking to his left. A lone sharingan was staring at him.

"Oh, you're awake," Kakashi tried to play it off.

Obito moved to sit up as well. "Kakashi, what was that?"

Obito's look silenced any pretending he had in mind. "A bad dream. It happens." He looked away.

 _I_ _t happens_. Maybe for civilians, that would be true. For shinobi, nightmares don't just _happen_. Sometimes, they're lived. "Kakashi, show me your sharingan."

Kakashi refused to move at first—too busy sulking over getting caught—but eventually turned to face Obito and opened his left eye without hesitation.

Obito's right eye glinted. _Sharingan!_

Kakashi felt a flood of memories entering his mind:

 _He saw Rin in the safehouse. The light in the room would change_ _constantly_ _. He could tell days were passing by as the spinning bijuudama slowly shrunk in size, like a yolk absorbed by a hatchling. The room changed to an operating room in the hospital. The next moment, the view returned to the safehouse. The green chakra cloak was gone and Rin was sleeping peacefully._ _F_ _ully recovered,_ _as Obito said_ _._

 _Minato appeared in his vision, smiling as usual. "Are you ready?"_

" _Yeah." He looked back to Rin. His hand reached out and held her hand. "Rin, we'll see each other soon."_

The memories ended there. Kakashi could almost feel the warmth left in his palm.

Obito was sure now. Kakashi hadn't changed much. "You were trying to take on everything by yourself again. Don't you have a teammate here and comrades you can rely on? You think we're all blind?"

Kakashi automatically thought up a few retorts and immediately threw them away. Trying to end the nightmares was better than waiting for the nightmares to end. However, weren't there things that people needed to face on their own? "Obito, you can't take care of all of my nightmares," he pointed out.

Obito casually rested his arms on his knees and matched Kakashi's eye level. "And what if I can?"

Kakashi stared for a moment. "Then you'd be a _baku_."

"I'm not a demon that devours dreams!"

Obito sat up and thumped his chest. "When I become Hokage, the shinobi world won't be a world filled with nightmares anymore!"

Kakashi's eyes curved up in a smile as he moved to sit up too. "Nn. If it's you, I believe you can do it."

What was this? Obito always wondered what it'd feel like to have the sun rise from the West. He couldn't stop grinning. "Yeah!"

…

They both said goodnight again and lied down in bed. Kakashi listened to the quiet for a while before finally closing his eyes.

 _Thank you for staying alive._

* * *

 _A/N: Next is Rin -3-_


End file.
